Car-loader.



'J. G. HUFFMAN.

GAR LOADER. APPLICATION FILED JULY s, 1905.

PATENTED MAY 1, 1906.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

l/izn 65565.

- v I Jamea GrHufiman y Inventor.

7c is #0 rney ANDREW. s. muruul co.. PHOTO-LJYNOGRAPNERS. WAENYNGYON, u4;

No. 819,279. PATEN'I'ED MAY 1, 1906.

J; G. HUFFMAN.

CAR LOADER.

APPLICATION FILED JULY a, 1905.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

his aziio-rneqv No. 819,279. PATENTED MAY 1, 1906. J. G. HUFFMAN.

GAR LOADER. APPLICATION FILED inns, 1905.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

bZfifi 65 \l 172 mentor 3 1 (7607166 fifjizgjfivzan women a. cmnm 00.,PHO'O-LWHDGRAPHiRS. msumcmn. 0. c.

No. 819,279. PATENTED MAY 1, 1906. J. G. HUFFMAN.

GAR LOADER.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 3, 1905.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

his aiforn ey,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES G. HUFFMAN, OF DECATUR, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO EDMUNDM. HYBARGER, OF PANA, ILLINOIS.

CAR-LOADER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 1', 1906.

Application filed July 3, 1905. Serial No. 268,249.

.of operation is to force the grain into the cars by a blast of air, anda primary object of the invention is to feed the grain mechanically intothe air blast and to hold the grain against back motion.

Another object is to provide for properly distributing the grain in thecar.

Another object is to provide for escape of dust from the current ofgrain and air, and further objects relate to details of constructionwith a view to general improvement of the loader.

In the drawings forming part of this specfication the essential featuresof the invention have been illustrated in the construction thought to bemost available and non-essentials have been in part omitted.

In Figure 1 the exterior of the loader has been shown in side elevation.Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the loader as it appears when not in use.section through. the operative parts of the loader. Fig. 4 is a sectionon lineX in Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a central vertical section through thecompound distributing conveyer or chute. Fig. 6 is a plan of thedischarge end of the loader and the distributing-chute, showing thechute in operative position. Fig. 7 is an end view of a chute, showinghow the tube is preferably flattened.

A grain-feeding compartment is shown at 1. A fan-casing is shown at 2,and at 3 is shown the discharge end of the grain-feeding compartmentthrough which the grain is forced by the blast of air.

The opening through which grain passes to compartment 1 is shown at 4.At 5 is shown a horizontal shaft which extends lengthwise of compartment1 and carries the spiral conveyer 6, and a cylindrical casing 7encircles the greater part of the conveyer. A slot 8 is formed in thelower part of easing 7 at the discharge end thereof. An inclined chute 9is formed beneath slot 8, and a slide-valve 10, controlled by rod 11',provides means for closing slot 8 more or less completely. The

Fig. 3 is acentral vertical discharge end 3 of the compartment 1 isinclined downwardly to direct the grain properly, and it is providedwith a diverting-plate or partition which may be swung to one side orthe other by means of rod 43 in order to divert the grain toward eitherof the two sidewise-extending chutes used to discharge the grain into acar.

The partition or diverting-plate is shown at 12, and its upper edge ispreferably held in position between the two parts of which nose 3 isformed. The casing 7 is cut away at 13 at its outer end and near itsupper surface, and the upper wall of compartment 1 is also cut away toform passages for dust, as shown in Fig. 4. A passage-way 14 is formedon the upper surface of compartment 1 in communication with thedust-passages 13 through casing 7, and a valve 15 provides means forcontrolling the escape of dust. A bracket 16 depends from the uppersurface of casing 7 and forms a bearing for one end of shaft 5. Awall 17coacts with the under surface of the casing 7 to form the air-passage18, leading from the fan. The fan 19 is preferably supplied with blades20 and 21, shaped as shown in Fig. 3, and it is mounted on shaft 22.

Grain passing from compartment 1 through nose 3 is delivered to thetrunk or hopper 24 and forced therefrom through the chutes 25.

pivotally connected with the chutes, and it is notched at 27 to engagethe bracket 28 when the chutes are raised. Two principal chutes, eachdesignated by 25, extend sidewise in opposite directions from the trunkor hopper 24, and a third chute 42-extends directly forward midwaybetween chutes 25. The central chute is smaller than the others,

and it has a mouth 42 inside the hopper,

which is adapted to coincide, approximately, with the discharge end ofthe inclined chute 9 when the chutes are raised. A valve 41 in chute 42provides means for closing the chute to a greater or less extent, andthis valve may be constructed in any desired manner. In

this instance the valve is shown hinged to a side of the chute and aset-screw 40 is screwed through a fixed, ut 39 to adjust the valve.

It is a matte! of mechanical construction to provide means for drivingthe different parts of the machine, and different environments maydemand different constructions. I prefer, however, to provide shaft 5with a pair of sprocket-wheels of different sizes, as 29 and 30, tomount sprocket-wheels 31 and 32 loosely on a counter-shaft 33, toconnect wheels 29 and 30 with wheels 31 and 32 by means of chains 35 and36, and to use a shiftable clutch-collar 34 to engage one or the otherof the sprocket-wheels 31 or 32. When oats is to be loaded, shaft 5 isdriven through chain 35, and when the machine is used to load corn theclutch-collar is shifted into ongagement with wheel 32 and shaft 5 isdriven slower through chain 36.

The loader usually stands alongside a track with its conveyer chuteshanging down, as shown in Fig. 1 in solid lines. The car to be loaded isrun alongside the elevator with which the loader is connected, thechutes 25, 25, and 42 are swung upward into the door of the car and heldthere by bracebar 26, and the curved chute-sections 44 are placed one oneach of the conveyer-tubes 25, as shown in Fig. 6. When the machine isstarted, the grain to be loaded is fed by gravity into the mouth 4 ofcompartment 1 and is forced by the spiral conveyer 6 through casing 7While a blast of air is developed by the fan and directed in thedirections indicated by arrows in Fig. 1. The heavier grains settle tothe bottom of the casing 7 and fall into the inclined chute 9 throughslot 8, while the remainder is forced over the tail of the casing andinto the trunk 24 of the conveyer-chutes. The grain passing throughchute 9 is discharged into conveyer tube 42, and the remainder isdivided into two streams, one of which is discharged to the rightthrough one of the conveyer-tubes 25, while the other is discharged tothe left through the other tube. The quantity of grain delivered to eachtube 25 may be varied somewhat by the adjustable partition or deflector12. The curved sections 44 are rotatable on tubes 25, and the rods 45act as handles to permit the curved sections to be suitably manipulated.By turning the curved sections into different positions the grain may bedischarged properly into different parts of the car. As a matter ofpreference, the curved sections 44 are flattened in crosssection, asshown in Fig. 7, so that a broader surface of grain may be exposed tothe action of the air-blast and the grain be thereby more effectivelyand completely discharged. The tubes 25 of the discharge-chute arestraight throughout their lengths and the curved sections 44 are alsostraight where they telescope on tubes 25 to permit rotary adjustment.The curved extensions of sections 44 are broadened sidewise, as shown inFig. 7. As the grain is fed into the air-blast by the conveyer 6 itcompletely prevents back action of the blast by closing thegrainpassage, and whatever back action the resistance of the grain maydevelop in the air-blast is used or may be used to carry dust throughopenings 13.

The invention is exemplified in the structure hereinbefore described,although it is not of necessity confined to this precise structure, andit is defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent 1. In a car-loader, the combination of an air-passage,means for producing a blast in the air-passage, a cylindricalgrain-passage above the air-passage, a slot in the discharge end of thelower part of the grainassage, an inclined chute extending below t 1eslot and into the air-passage, and a screw conveyer in thegrain-passage.

2. In a car-loader, the combination of an air-passage, means forproducing a blast in the air-passage, a cylindrical grain-passage abovethe air-passage, a slot in the lower part of the discharge end of thegrain-passage, a slide to limit the length of the slot-opening, aninclined chute extending below the slot and into the air-passage, and ascrew conveyer in the grain-passage.

3. In a car-loader, the combination of a cylindrical grainpassage, ascrew conveyer in the grain-passage, conveyer-chutes attached to thedischarge end of the grain-passage in which the screw operates,dust-outlets in the cylindrical grain-passage above the discharge end ofthe screw, an air-passage beneath the grain-cylinder and communicat ingtherewith at the discharge end thereof, and a fan to produce a blast inthe air-passa e.

i. In a car-loader, the combination of a cylindrical grain-passage, ascrew conveyer in the grain-passage, an air-passage beneath thegrain-passage communicating therewith at the discharge end thereof, aslot in the lower part of the discharge end of the cylindricalgrain-passage, an inclined chute beneath the slot and in the air-passageand a three-part conveyer-chute having the central member adapted toreceive grain from the inclined chute beneath the slot of thegrain-passage.

5. In a car-loader, the combination with a grain-passage and anairassage communicating therewith, of a trun r, or hopper placed toreceive the combined blast of air and grain, a pair of divergingconveyer-tubes to receive grain from the upper part of the trunk and acentral conveyer-tube to receive grain from the lower part of the trunk.

6. In a car-loader, the combination with a grain-feeder and anair-blast, of a trunk or hopper to receive the grain forced by theblast, a pair of divergent conveyer-tubes attached to the hopper, acentral conveyertube secured to the hopper and a valve in the centraltube.

7. In a car-loader, the combination with a grain-feeder and an air-blastofa trunk or hopper hinged to the discharge end of the grain-feeder andprovided with a plurality of conveyer-tubes and a notched brace hingedto the hopper and adapted to hold the tubes in a raised position.

8. In a car-loader, the combination of a grain-passage, a screw in thegrain-passage, a grain-deflecting plate swung from its upper edge inthegrain-passage beyond the screw,

in front of the deflecting-plate, and a fan to produce a blast in theair-passage.

9. In a car-loader, the combination of a screw conveyer, a casing forthe conveyer having a nose protruding beyond the screw, and adischarge-chute hinged to the under part of the nose and adapted to forma continuation of the nose when raised.

In testimony whereof I sign my name in the presence of two subscribingwitnesses.

JAMES G. HUFFMAN.

Witnesses:

RosA VoELoKER, LOUIS B. CAssELL.

